Toy locomotive



R. E. GOODE, JR

TOY LOCOMOTIVE May 6, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Dec. 5, 1947 Inventor Robert E. Goode Jr.

. is z B and llll'lll R. E. GOODE, JR

May 6, 1952 TOY LOCOMOTIVE 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Dec. 5, 1947 .F II v m NM QM Inventor Robert E. Goode Jr.

Ii 1' Z Patented May 6, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEQE TOY LOCOMOTIVE Robert E. Geode, Jr., Prescott, Ariz.

Application December 5, 1947, Serial No. 789,821

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in toy locomotives and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a locomotive having a tender and including means carried by the locomotive and tender that permit a more equalized distribution of weight on the driving wheels of the locomotive; increases the balance weight of the toy to afford greater tractional engagement of the wheels with a track; and, increases the normal driving power for the device.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a connecting link between the locomotive and tender so designed as to prevent torque effects from the motor mounted in the tender from tipping the tender, causing unnecessary strain on the drive arrangement, or on any other type of flexible shaft or universal jointed drive.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a locomotive of relatively small size so constructed as to permit a tender supporting a relatively large concealed motor to be conveniently and operatively attached to the locomotive.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a toy locomotive that is simple and practical in construction, eflicient and reliable in use, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in they details of construction and operation as morefully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsforming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer.

to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the locomotive and tender constructed in accordance with the present invention, and with parts thereof broken away and shown in section;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line Figure 6 is a fragmentary group perspective," view of. the spherical element and guide bar carried by the driven shaf t.

8 Claims. (Cl. 105-75) M Figure 4 of the drawings.

54 of the link 52 is of increased width and loosely Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral l9 represents a toy locomotive generally and I2 its tender. Both the locomotive and tender are provided with a suitable number of axles i l supporting wheels l6.

Journaled in a bearing i3 mounted on the chassis of the locomotive is a driven shaft 20 provided with a substantially cylindrical worm gear 2| fixed at one terminal portion, that engages a worm wheel 22 fixedly mounted on a selected axle of the locomotive.

A collar 24 removably carried by shaft 26 limits longitudinally movement of the shaft relative to the bearing.

Removably secured to the opposite end of shaft 20, by a countersunken set screw or the like 26, is a sleeve 28 closed at its innermost end.

Journaled on a portion of tender I2 is a drive shaft 30 on which is removably mounted a second sleeve 32 closed at one end.

The numeral 34 represents a longitudinal driven shaft provided with transverse apertures 36 at each end thereof that are disposed at right angles to each other. The terminal portions of shaft 34 engage a central bore 38 provided in a spherical element 40. A second bore 42 provided in the element 451, at right angles to bore 33, communicates with the respective apertures 36 so that a guide and locking bar 5 3 may be in serted through the shaft and the element to retain the same in a fixed position to each other, with the bars at'each end of the shaft at right angles to each other, as shown in'Figure 5 of the drawings.

The ends of the bars M project outwardly from the element ii] to engage longitudinal slots 38 provided in sleeves 28 and 32.

Receivably. engaged in internally threaded apertures at the underside of both the tender and the locomotive, are the externally threaded ends 48 ofshouldered screws 58 on which are loosely mounted the terminal ends of substantially fiat connecting link 52, as thus shown in The central portion engages the slots provided in the brackets 58 depending from the locomotive and tender. One terminal end of the link bears on the usual bolster bar 60 carried by the tender. It should be noted, that the bracket 53 carried by the tender bears upon the link 52 and that the link 52 bears upon the bracket 58 mounted on the locomotive for a purpose which will later be more fully described.

In practical use of the present invention, as the motor 62 mounted within the tender and operatively connected to shaft 30 is actuated, shaft 30 rotates causing a like rotation of shaft 34, and as the sleeve 32 is connected to shaft 30 by means of the element 40 and pin 44, likewise shaft 20 is rotated causing gear 2| to engage gear 22 for driving the locomotive either forwardly or rearwardly depending upon the direction in which the shaft 30 is rotating.

The novel and improved manner in coupling shaft 34 to shafts 30 and 20 permits the longitudinal axis of the locomotive to be at inclined angles with the longitudinal axis of the tender without affecting the normal forward or rearward movement of the locomotive.

The stability of the tender is assured by the arrangement of the link 52 between the locomotive and tender. The link can move sideways freely on screws 50 and can rock at right angles to the slots 54, however, the link cannot rotate in the plane which intersects the slots 56 vertically, because of the width 54 of the link engaging the slots. The purpose for limiting the twisting movement of the link in slots 56 is to. prevent torque caused by the motor 62 from twisting the tender over or out of line with the locomotive and this link also limit the angularity of the shaft 34 to shafts 20 and 30 to only that necessary for the device to go around curves.

The link 52 is also employed as a lever to transfer some of the weight of. the tender and motor to the locomotive and then tends to increase the weight on the driving wheels. Even thoughcthe motor is of a size larger in proportion. to the locomotivethis link will still transfersome of the weight from the tender to the driving wheels of the locomotiveso that the drivingwheels of 'the locomotive will frictionally engage thetrack with a greater traction. Usually a locomotive is coupled to a tender in such a manner that theforward portion of the locomotive is. of' a weight slightly greater than the rear portion thereof, and-the forward driving wheels of the locomotive frictionally engage a track or rail'with a higher force of friction than do the rear driving wheels and theo traction of the front drivingwheels and rear driving wheels on the track is not'equalized. Howeventhe present link willtransfer some of the, weight from the tender or car pulled by the locomotive to the rear portion of the locomotive andmore particularly to the rear driving wheels sothat the force of friction between the rear drivingr wheels on the track is substantially equal to the force of friction between the forward driving wheels and the track. Such a link will also tend to maintain an equalized traction between all the driving wheels and the track.

In View of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is'believed that a clear understanding of the construction, operation and advantages of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

laving described the invention, whatis claimed as: new is:

l. Inxat toylocomotive including a. tender; a drivingconnection comprising; a driven shaft" journaled in the locomotive, a second shaft between the locomotive and the tender, a flexible coupling connecting said shafts together, means for coupling said second shaft to a source of power, and link means between the locomotive and the tender preventing overturning 0f the tender due to torque reaction and transferring weight from the tender to the rear portion of the locomotive said link means being pivoted to the tender and the rear portion of the locomotive, and means carried by the tender bearing upon said link means.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said flexible coupling includes a sleeve removably carried by said driven shaft, a spherical element carried by said drive shaft and workable in said sleeve and means fixed to the element and slidably engaged with said sleeve.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said coupling includes a sleeve removably carried by said driven, shaft, a spherical element carried by said drive shaft, a guide bar carried by said spherical element, and a longitudinal slot providediinsaid sleeve slidably receiving said guide bar.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said link means includes a plate having its terminal portions pivotally mounted on the locomotive and tender respectively.

5. In atoy locomotive, a tender, a link having its terminal portions respectively pivoted on the tender and locomotive, means carried by the tender bearing uponsaid link, means carried by the locomotive upon which said link bears, said link transferring weight from the tender to the rear portion: of the locomotive, a motor in said tender, said locomotive having driven wheels, and a power transmitting drive shaft including a-flexible coupling operatively connecting said power means to said driven wheels.

6, In a toy locomotive including a tender,

brackets carried by the adjacent ends'of said 10-.

comotlve and said tender, each of said brackets having a horizontal slot therein with the horizontal slot in the bracket on the tender located below the horizontal slot in the bracket on the locomotive, a link; a first pivot removably securin oneend of said link to said locomotive, a second pivot removably securing the other end of said link to said tender, a driven shaft journaled in the locomotive, a second shaft between the locomotive; and the tender, a. socket member on said driven shaft, a spherical element on. said second shaft received in said member, a pin extending throughsaid element and having ends projecting from said element, said member having a pair of: guideslots receiving the ends of said pin, a source of'power on said tender connected to said second shaft, said locomotive including a pair of driving wheels, and means operatively connecting said driving wheels to said driven shaft, said first pivot constituting the sole means for attaching said link and said tender to said locomotive and for retaining said element in said member.

'7. In atoy locomotive including a tender, a driven member on said locomotive, a driving member on said tender and engaged with said driven member, and a link terminally pivoted to said locomotive and said tender and retaining said driven member engaged with said driving memher;

8. In a toy locomotive including a tender, a longitudinally extending driven shaftrotatably supportedby said locomotive, a'longitudinally ex:-

" tet'fdl'ng drive shaft on said tender, a sleeve mounted on said shaft, a rod extending between said shafts, spherical elements on the ends of said rod and received in said sleeves for universal move-.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Re. 14,039 377,122 604,586 919,651 1,077,580 1,225,894 1,323,679 1,582,344 1,696,610 1,737,787 1,985,888 2,186,737 2,253,610

Name Date Morton Dec. 28, 1915 Skinner Jan. 31, 1888 Knowles May 24, 1898 Spicer Apr. 27, 1909 Austin et a1. Nov. 4, 1913 Turner May 15 81917 Dean Dec. 2, 1919 Nattrass Apr. 27, 1926 McCarty Dec. 25, 1928 Dombrow Dec. 3, 1929 Day Jan. 1, 1935 Smith Jan. 9, 1940 Coderre Aug. 26, 1941 

